I Feel Good

Fred Hammond's “I Feel Good” is an upbeat gospel song about choosing joy. It starts with advice to the listener: “Now it's time to ease your mind, so hear me as I say, life's not always down, you see. If the sun refuse to shine and all your skies are gray, just sing this simple melody.”

The chorus is the simple melody: “I feel good and I know it, don't hate me if I show it. The joy I feel on the inside will show up on the outside.” The vamp describes the response: hands go up, he praises and thanks God, and the happiness in his life will not be denied. The second part admits that there will be days of feeling down and blue, but that they will not be today, and it invites the listener to pray for others and lift their voices together. A later section says, “I choose to feel love and I choose to feel peace,” and credits the change to being with God's Son, who set him free. The beat is funky and bright, and the call-and-response leads a crowd to sing along. It is meant to lift a room and remind believers that joy is a decision as well as a feeling.

The joy of the Lord as strength is Nehemiah 8:10. Mourning turned to dancing is Psalm 30:11, and joy made full is John 15:11.